Method of making tires.



M. A. DEBS. METHODgOP MAKING TIRES. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 20, 1913.

1,1 9 4 Patented Mar. 9, 1915.

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mvmim .&.Q@@@ #2?? ururian) STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARK A. BEES, on ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR- T0 AMERIoAN TIRE COMPANY, or

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION.

METHOD or MAKING Trans.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 20, 1913. Serial No. 743,115.

United States No. 1,029,307, issued to the American Tire Company, June 11, 1912. The object of the present invention is the carrying out of a method by virtue of which the tire structures are rendered much stronger and more durable than the-tires made in accordance with the method set forth in said Patent No. 1,029,307. In carrying' out the patented method, the tire structure, composed of layers of fabric and raw rubber, is usually stretched before vul canization'by the introduction of fluid under pressure into the interior of the tire. The

.ends of the fabric layers are lapped and stuck together by the raw rubber, and I have discoveredthat the fluid pressure causes the lapped ends of the inner fabric to slip, thereby permitting the fluid to permeate between the layers of the fabric structure.

Therefore, an object of my invention is to construct the fabric skeleton so that the lapped ends of the inner fabric layer will not slip While the fabric structure is being stretched.

The said patented method provides for the fluid pressure medium applied internally'of the tire structure.

Figure I is a perspective view showing a portion of a mandrel and a layer of fabric stretched slightly at its middle portion to conform to the shape of the periphery of the mandrel, leaving the longitudinal edges of the fabric loose or wrinkled. Fig. II is a section showing a fragment of a mandrel with several layers of fabric thereon. Fig.

Patented'Mar. 9, 19 15.

preventing perfect vulcanization of III is a diagrammatical view of the several layers of fabric. Fig. IV is a transverse section Showing the unvulcanized tire structure arranged in a mold, ready to be expanded.

The first step in the patented method herein referred around the periphery drel 1,and at the same fabric to cause its middle portion to con- 7 5 to consists in wrapping strips p of fabric, coatedand filled with raw rubber,

of an annular man- I time Stretching said 7 formto the shape of the periphery of the Y mandrel. the mandrel is then condensed or contracted. by pressure applied by milling tools or other suitable implements adapted to smooth the fabric by adjustment of its threads. The fabric strips employed in tire construction are cut on the bias so that the threadsrun The loose fabric at' the sides of diagonally of the strips and, as is well.

own, a number of such strips are required to produce a complete tire skeleton.

lapped and stuck together by the raw rubber. Any desired number of layers of fabric may be wound around the mandrel and each layeris pressed around the sides of the mandrel so as to present a smooth surface conforming to the configuration of the mandrel. No wrinkles are then present in the fabric, all looseness being apparently eliminated by the condensation of the fabric strips at the sides of the mandrel Ifthe v9O The. adjacent ends of the fabric strips are over tire is, intended to be of the clencher type, the edges of the fabric are provided. with or.

shaped to form beads shownat 2 for hold- 7 ing the tire onto a wheel rim. The fabric is then covered with raw rubber shown at 3 and placed within the vulcanizing mold shown at 4. The next step is the introduction of fluid under pressure into the tire to stretch the fabric, thereby expanding the in tire so that.the "raw rubber engages and" is pressedfirmly against the inner face of the mold cavity. The degree of pressure for this operation is preferably equal to or greater than the degree of pressure exerted by the inner tube when the tire is in service.

the rubber when subjected to the pressure of the inner tube. The advantages gained by stretching the fabric in this manner are fully described in the patent hereinbefore referred to. After the stretching operation the tire is vulcanized while a high degree .of pres- ,sure is maintained in the tire. It will now be understood is stretched at two different times, namely, when the fabric strips are wound onto the annular mandrel 1, and by the fluid pressure after the raw tire is placed in the vulcanizing mold. 'I' have .found in practice that if all of the fabric strips are stretched to the'salne degree while being wound onto the mandrel, the second stretching operation .caused by the fluid pressure will cause the strip forming the inner fabric layer to slip at the points where the ends of this strip overlap each other. This slippage seems 40 to destroy the connection between ends of ..,the fabric strip, which are usually only 'unitedby the raw rubber, and as a' consequence the fiuid under pressure permeates into the fabric skeleton so as to render it unfit for service. To prevent such leakage,

,I produce the inner fabric layer A by WlIld- 'ingthe fabric onto the mandrel under a very slight degree of tension preferably just sufficient for the fabric to be pressed smoothly around the-sides of the mandrel.

,Particular attention is directed to the fact that the inner fabric layer A is not subjected to any great degree of tension while being formed around the mandrel. The

strips entering into the structure of other fabric layers 13 are stretched around the mandrel very tightly in-the usual manner. Fig.- III illustrates diagrammatically the distinction between the mesh of the inner, fabric layer ..sion, and the mesh of the layers 13 which are A, which is almost free of ten.-

' "pulled very tightly around the periphery of the-mandrel.

When the fabric skeleton produced in this" "yield more freely that the fabric manner is stretched by fluid pressure in the vulcanizing mold, all ofthe fabric. layers are x subjected to a substantially uniform pres-. sure but the threads of theinner layer will than the already tcnsioned threads of the outer layers. The overlap: ping ends of thefabric forming the inner layer will not slip on eachother, for the rea son thatsaid inner layer will become adjusted freely in response to the fluid pres-. sure, without exerting a severe pull at the overlapping'ends. comparatively free the fluid under pressure within the tire cavity, thereby insuring a very serviceable fabric structure. v

The rubberized fabric layerA of my tire structure being initially laid in the -struc fabric layer will confine ture in an unstretched, orsubstantially un--- ric mesh. In other words, the rubberized fabric layer A, with the soft and unvulcanized rubber therein, is moved outwardly with the threads of the fabric and the rub-v ber in the mesh of the fabric travelin to-,- gether, and both the fabric threads and-the soft rubber, in the mesh formed by the threads. are compacted under fluid pressure against the stretched layer of rubberized fabric lying next adjacent to the adjustable rubberized fabric layer A, this action occurring without displacement of the soft. rubber from the mesh of the fabric layer A. It will now be understood thatthe rubberized fabric layer A is in the nature of an extensible insulating blanket, which receives the initial. force of fluid pressure medium,

used for the formation of a tire within a understood that the fabricand soft rubber suitablemold or casing. It will be further in the mesh of the fabric layer A, yielding together under fluid pressure, and the rub- I ber, therefore, remaining ,in place in the mesh of the fabric, no opportunity is af forded for the pressure fluidfpermeating;

; oining layers of'rubberized -fabric.

'le a highly desirable tire-structure is.

-canization of the rubber carried produced by 't'ensioning several fabric layers to a substantially uniform degree, I believe it is also very desirable to combine with such structure one or more layers of'com paratively free fabric. The tensioned laysaid ers of fabric may weaken and wear'away more readily by contact with the ground after the rubber tread becomes worn, but a "lowout cannot occur without rupturing all of the fabric layers. The inner fabric layer made by my method being subjected to a comparatively slight degree of tension in its manufacture, will .withstand a greater degree of internal pressure than the outer layers which have been tensioned to resist the inner tube pressure without yielding.

I claim 1. The method of making tires which con-' sists in assembling in a tire casing structure, an inner ply of readily extensible rubberized threads, and an outer ply of rubberized threads less extensible than the threads in the inner ply, then expanding said structure, aiid finally vulcanizing the rubber on said p ies.

2. The method of making tires, which consists in building a tire casing structure of layers of fabric and raw rubber; the outer layer or layers being tensioned when put in position, with the fabric in the innermost of layers left extensible relative to the outer layer or layers, confining said tire casing structure in a suitable case, then expanding said structure to a degree sufiicient to stretch the fabric in the layer or layers except the innermost layer to, approximately, the limit of the elasticity of the threads of such outer fabric layer or layers, and vulcanizing said tire casing structure.

3. The method of making tires, which consists in building a tire casing structure of layers of fabric and raw rubber, the fabric in all the layers except the innermost being severely stretched when put in position, with the fabric in the innermostof said layers left extensible relative to the fabric in the outer layer or layers, confining said tire casing structure in a suitable case then expanding said structure to a degree suflicient to stretch the fabric in the layer or layers except the innermost layer to, approximately, the limit of the elasticity'of the threads of such outer fabric layer or layers, and vulcanizing said tire casing structure.

4. The method of making tire casings, which consists in building a tire casing structure of layers of fabric and raw rubber, the fabric in all the layers exceptthe innermost being severely stretched when put in position, with the fabric in the innermost of said layers left extensible relative to the by :the midfabric in the outer layer iorf -layersyieonfin' said tire. casing structure "in a suitable :case,

lug-s5 and stretching the fabric invthe layer layers except the innennostflayer'to, 'apn proximately, the limit of-the'elasticity .of the:

threads of tire casing such fabric by subjecting :said" structureto pressureby intro ducing a pressure medium into the structure,

and 5. The method of making which consists in building a tire casing structure of layers'of fabric andraw rubber, all the layers except the innermost layer being severely stretched when put in position,

with the layers left extensible relative to the fabric in the outer layer or layers, confining said tire casing structure in a suitable case, then lacing the threads in the fabric in the outer ayer or layers of fabric and raw rubber under uniform tension to, approximately, the limit of elasticity of such threads by pressure applied internally of said tire caslng structure, and vulcanizing said strucfabric in the innermost of saidv ture, whereby the stretched threads in the outermost layer or stretched condition.

6. The method of making tires, which consists in laying a readily extensible ply comprising rubberized threads upon a suitable form, surrounding said first ply with an outer ply or plies of rubberized threads 1' endered less extensible than the threads in the first ply, confining the structure in a suit able case, expanding the tire structure by the introduction of fluid under pressure layers are set in their vulcanizing said casing structure.

tire casings,

thereinto against the innerply, to adjust itoutwardly relative to the outer ply plies 4 as an insulation blanket serving to event contact of'fiuid with the outer ply or plies,-

and thereafter vulcanizing the rubber in the tire structure.

7. The method of making as which an. sists in laying a ply comprising rubberized threads in'substantially unstretched condition upon a suitable form, surrounding said ing rubberized threads rendered less extensible than the threads in the first ply, confining the structure in a suitable case, expanding the tire structure by the introduction of fluid under pressure thereinto against the inner ply, to adjust it outwardly relative to the outer ply or plies as an insulation blanket serving to prevent contact of fluid with the outer ply or plies. and thereafter vulcanizing the rubber in the tire structure.

- 8. The method of making tires, which conprising rubberized threads upon a suitable form, surrounding said first ply with a plurality of superposing outer plies of rubberized threads, all of said outer plies being tensioned to approximately the same degree first ply with an outer ply or plies comprissists in laying a readily extensible ply comand less extensible than the threads in the fluid withthe outer Eply or Elias, and ithGFB-W first ply, confiningthg structuneiin'a.suitable aiter vulcanizing the rub case, expand m the itl-re stnucture'by the instructure.

troduction of uid underppressu-re :thene'into MARK A. DRESJ 5 against the inner ply, to adjust-it outwmdly In the presence .of-

relative to the outerp-l-y or plies asmn-insu- A. J MCCAULE lation blanket servi fig to prevent contact .of B. LINN.

er in the -trrew 

